Folding anchor.



S. F. LANGFORD.

FOLDING ANCHOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1912.

1,036,275. Patented Aug. 20,1912.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM NGTON. D C- SAMUEL FRASER LANG-FORD, OFSACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING ANCHOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Application filed February 1, 1912. Serial No. 674,769.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, SAMUEL FRASER LANG- i FORD, a citizen of theUnited'States, and: resident of Sacramento, in the county of Sacramentoand State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improve,ments in Folding Anchors, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to anchors of the type in which the stock islongitudinally movable through a perforation in the shank, so that thestock may be folded against the shank when the anchor is not in use.

The object of the invention is to provide an anchor, of the type inquestion, with a simple and secure device for maintaining the stock inoperative position and preventing it effectually from moving toinoperative position when the anchor is in. use.

To this end the invention consists in the construction hereinafterdescribed, asit is defined in the succeeding claims.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a perspective view of afolding-anchor embodying the present invention, with the stock inposition for operation; Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on a larger scale,of the upper portion of the anchor, showing the means for locking thestock in operative position; and Fig. 3 is a side-elevation with thesame parts.

The invention is illustrated as embodying in a folding anchor of whichthe general form and construction is familiar, the anchor comprising theusual shank 5 having a transverse perforation 6 near its upper end toreceive the stock 7. This stock is both longitudinally and rotatablymovable in the perforation 6, and has the usual curved end 13 to permitit to swing to folded position parallel with the shank.

A lug 8 projects laterally from the stock, and the perforation 6 is madein keyhole form, comprising, at the bottom, a rectangular portion orslot 9. A flange or shoulder 10 upon the stock limits its movement inone direct-ion, through the shank, and in folding the anchor the stockis slid in the opposite direction, the lug 8 passing, at this time,through the slot-portion 9 of the perforation. To look the stock inoperative position, however, a resilient tongue 11, in the form of astrip of spring-metal, is fixed, at its lower end, to the shank, and theupper end of this tongue lies normally over the end of the slot-portion9 of the perforation,

1 thus closing the slot and preventing the passage of the lug 8theret-hrough.

The shank 5 is provided with a shallow recess in which the tongue 11lies, so that the outer surface of the tongue is flush with the surfaceof the shank adjacent the perforation 6. The stock may thus turn freely,but in no position can the lug 8 pass through the perforation. When itis necessary to fold the anchor, however, the resilient tongue is swungaway from the shank at its upper end. To facilitate this operation, anotch or recess 12 is provided in the shank, into which any convenienttool may be inserted to pry the tongue away from the shank. When thetongue has been thus swung away, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thestock may be turned to bring the lug into line with the slot, and thelug may then pass through the perforation, permitting the stock to bemoved to folded position in the usual manner. In moving the stock tooperative position the operation is reversed, the stock being moved tothe position of Fig. 2, thus pressing the tongue away from the shank,and being then turned to remove the lug from engagement with the tongueand permit the latter to snap into place against the shank.

It will be apparent that any pressure of the lug against the tongue,which may result from accidental causes in the use of the anchor, willtend only the more firmly to maintain the tongue in operative position,so that it is impossible for the lug to pass through the perforationexcept when the tongue is expressly operated to permit this, and thusaccidental folding of the anchor when in use is effectually prevented.

My invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof hereinbeforedescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but may beembodied in various other forms within the nature of the invention as itis defined in the following claims.

I claim I 1. A folding-anchor having, in combination, a shank providedwith a transverse perforation of keyhole form, a stock movable bothlongitudinally and rotatively in said perforation and provided with alug, and a tongue connected, at one end, with the shank and with itsother end normally covering a portion of the perforation so as toprevent the passage of said lug therethrough, the tongue being adaptedto be swung away from the perforation to permit the lug to enter theperforation when turned to a position between the tongue and the shank.

2. A folding-anchor having, in combination, a shank provided with atransverse perforation of keyhole form, a stock movable longitudinallyand rotatively through said perforation and provided with a lug, and aresilient tongue fixed to the shank and normally covering a portion ofthe perforation so as to prevent the passage of said lug therethrough,the tongue being adapted to be swung away fro1n the perforation topermit the lug to enter the perforation when turned to a positionbetween the tongue and the shank, and the shank being recessed toreceive the tongue, so that the outer surface of the tongue is flushwith the surface of the shank adjacent the perforation.

SAMUEL FRASER LANGFORD. \Vitnesses:

ARTHUR A. POISSANT, JAMES E. CLARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latents, Washington, I). G.

